Last week, the fantastic adaptation of Me and Earl an the Dying Girl hit theaters in a limited run, and this week the lively Dope also arrives on the big screen. Both are spectacular coming of age tales from two very different sides of the spectrum, but they both have wonderful young characters, engaging relationships, and are special in their own ways.

And with these two magnificent coming of age movies hitting the big screen recently, we thought it was a good time to look back at some of the great films to come out of this subgenre. But since everyone has gushed over films like Stand by Me, The Breakfast Cluband Say Anything for years, I decided to put a more modern focus on coming of age films by counting down my picks for the Top 25 Best Coming of Age Movies of the Past 25 Years. That means you won’t find anything on here from before 1990. Do your favorite movies make the cut?

Check out my list of the Top 25 Best Coming of Age Films of the Past 25 Years after the jump! Read More »

Over the past few weeks, and for the next few months, discussions will center on the best films of 2013. I did a list, the /Filmcast did a list and innumerable others will do the same leading up to the moment the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences crowns their best film of the year with the Best Picture Oscar.

But what do even bigger audiences think? Many film fans don’t have a blog, paper or podcast to spout off on. Many of those people turn to the Internet Movie Database to vote on the films they loved best in any given year. Now, the IMDB has published their top 50 films of 2013 according to over 10,000 users. Check it out below. Read More »

After a triumphant premiere at Cannes this spring, Blue Is the Warmest Color got some negative attention this fall when stars Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos told press that working with director Abdellatif Kechiche was a “horrible” experience and that they’d never work for him again.

The question of whether Kechiche pushed his stars too hard is still open, and based on the director’s statements may even be headed to court. But it can’t be argued that his methods, however brutal, got results. Overnight, Blue Is the Warmest Color transformed Exarchopoulos from a virtual unknown (at least in the States) into an international sensation.

And IFC Films would very much like you to remember that. The U.S. distributor for the French film has just released a red-band For Your Consideration trailer highlighting Exarchopoulos’ stunningly raw, tender performance. Check it out after the jump.

The news that the MPAA had stamped Abdellatif Kechiche‘s Blue Is the Warmest Color with an NC-17 rating wasn’t much of a shock. The board is famously prudish when it comes to sex, and the film raised eyebrows at Cannes for its lengthy, intense, and graphic scenes of lesbian lovemaking.

Distributor Sundance Selects announced in August that it would not “compromise Kechiche’s vision” by whittling it down for an R, so it’s rolling into theaters this weekend with that NC-17 rating still intact. Normally, this would prevent anyone under 17 from seeing the movie, even with parental supervision. But one theater in New York has decided to defy the MPAA recommendation and let teens see it anyway. Hit the jump to find out why.

Abdellatif Kechiche‘s Blue Is the Warmest Color drew raves upon raves at Cannes this year, for its tender, intimate portrayal of two young women (Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux) falling in love. But it also raised some eyebrows thanks to its graphic sex scenes.

It’s no surprise, then, that the MPAA has stamped the drama with an NC-17 for its U.S. release. But rather than trim the movie for an R or release it without a rating at all, American distributor Sundance Selects will put Blue Is the Warmest Color in theaters with the restrictive rating intact. Hit the jump to find out why, and to get a peek at the first international trailer.